UK inflation rise makes it clear: the cost of living crisis has not gone away
Analysts say pressure will be on Bank to keep interest rates higher for longer, as consumers’ mood stays gloomy UK inflation rises unexpectedly to 3.6% Business live – latest updates For anyone hoping the Bank of England will pick up the pace of interest rate cuts – including
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Rachel Reeves needs wider headroom against fiscal rules, ex-Bank of England deputy says
Charlie Bean says slim margin of £10bn means chancellor ‘has to neurotically fine-tune taxes to control OBR forecast’ Business live – latest updates The former Bank of England deputy governor Charlie Bean has urged Rachel Reeves to create much wider headroom against her fiscal rules – a decision
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Tell us: what would you like to see on a redesigned bank note?
Banknotes issued by the Bank of England are being redesigned. We’d like to hear your suggestions for a new theme Banknotes issued by the Bank of England are to have a major redesign for the first time in more than 50 years. Historic figures such as Winston Churchill
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UK households hit by squeeze on living standards despite fastest growth in G7
ONS confirms GDP growth at 0.7% between January and March but households saving less of disposable income Business live – latest updates UK households faced a renewed cost of living squeeze in the first three months of 2025 amid increases in taxes and inflation, official figures show, despite
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Red tape slashed to revamp high streets with new cafes and bars
Communities and town centres across the UK are set to benefit from a wave of new cafes, bars, music venues and outdoor dining options, as the Government slashes red tape to breathe new life into the high street. HM GovernmentSource
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BoE governor warns Reeves over weakening banking rules too much
Radical watering-down would risk repeating mistakes that led to 2008 crisis, says Andrew Bailey Business live – latest updates The governor of the Bank of England has warned the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, against a radical watering-down of City banking rules because it would risk repeating the mistakes that
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Tread carefully with reform of bank ringfencing, chancellor | Nils Pratley
Ditching the regulation in its entirety risks another financial crisis. Stamp duty on shares remains the background drag Rachel Reeves called it “the biggest set of reforms to financial regulation in a decade”, and, in one narrow sense, her Leeds Reforms would qualify for the description. If the
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Bank of England rolls out looser mortgage rules to help first-time buyers
Move hopes to push lenders to offer more high loan-to-income mortgages and help 36,000 buyers on to housing ladder Business live – latest updates The Bank of England has rolled out looser mortgage rules that policymakers hope will help 36,000 more first-time buyers on to the housing ladder
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Labour could find the money it wants without raising taxes. This is austerity by amnesia | Randeep Ramesh
Starmer and Reeves need a fresh approach to enact their vision, and I have a plan for that. They’re just channelling the ghosts of governments past This summer’s “rebuild, rebuild, rebuild” campaign by the government feels less like a policy programme than a seance. Promising renewal, Keir Starmer
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Rachel Reeves must rethink how tax and spend decisions are made after welfare U-turn | Heather Stewart
Binary rules and twice-yearly OBR forecasts have turned chancellor’s moves into grim spectator sport There are many lessons for Labour’s bruised leadership from last week’s embarrassing U-turn on welfare cuts, but one is surely that how – and when – fiscal policy is set is not working. Binary
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